Business Development Strategy Definition – Sales and business development are often combined – seen as extensions of each other, forming a single practice. But not like that. While they’re both focused on getting your company’s solutions into the hands of customers, they’re more like separate but complementary elements than an organization, and if you don’t have both, your efforts can suffer. on sale. Here, we take a closer look at business development, look at some of the key roles associated with training, distinguish concept from sales, and explore how the two elements interact. Business Development “Business development” generally refers to the set of activities a company performs to identify prospects whose business needs best match the benefits of its offering. This process often includes activities such as sourcing, competitive positioning, networking, and strategic partnerships. In the context of the sales process, the term “business development”—also known as “sales development”—generally refers to the top-level activities undertaken to identify, communicate, and ultimately are qualified customers with high potential. A well-executed business development can set a smooth path for sales reps further down the sales process. This creates friendlier prospects and, in turn, simpler, more effective value propositions. Sales Development Roles Sales development roles may include Business Development Representative (BDR) or Sales Development Representative (SDR) roles. These roles are typically entry-level roles within a company’s sales organization, combined with career paths in sales, account management, or customer success management. Business Development vs. Sales Development Comparing Business Development Representatives (BDRs) to Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) is easy and fair. The positions are fundamentally similar – some companies don’t even distinguish between the two. No matter how well a business defines each role, it won’t meet quotas or close deals — and both aim to move qualified leads into the sales pipeline. In most cases, the difference between the two lies in whether they are dealing with inbound or outbound leads. A BDR is usually responsible for prospecting cold leads, while an SDR focuses on warm leads, so the BDR handles the outbound side of business development while the SDR refers to its incoming element. Both roles involve conducting thorough prospect research, engaging in proactive outreach, developing extensive knowledge of niche markets, and performing other key actions to help identify potential lead carefully and effectively. Where do sales come from? The sale is a closing. After receiving a qualified lead from an SDR, sales reps drive deals to the finish line. Sales representatives may perform some additional qualifications in certain situations, but their primary goal is to close deals. Sales representatives are also responsible for product demonstrations, handling future objections, and negotiating contracts. Business development and sales. The difference between business development and sales usually comes down to the difference between “putting them on the line” and “putting them down.” Business development representatives identify and identify suitable leads, enabling the company’s sales team to approach more accessible and suitable prospects. Sales and business development require separate teams and represent different functions, but it’s easy to see how important it is for both strategies to work in lock-step. Ideal sales are impossible without dedicated business development, and building the necessary business development relationships is based on a clear decision and a company with a reputation for effective positioning in a specific market. SDR and sales rep positions don’t have much crossover when it comes to day-to-day activities—unless your reps are also responsible for some of their own prospecting. That said, if you want to get the most out of your broader sales efforts, the two teams need to be aligned. SDRs, BDRs, and sales reps must understand your organization’s ideal buyer persona and continually identify matching opportunities. Why are sales and business development separate? Why should your organization create and maintain a distinction between sales and business development? Keeping them separate gives your company attractive advantages. Avoiding the Challenges of Reaching Buyers According to Brian Gonzalez, sales development expert at TOPO Research and Consulting Group, one of the main reasons why the sales process is divided into business development and sales is due to increasing challenges in reaching consumers. According to Gonzalez, reaching a consumer “requires more effort from smart people today… It takes more research and more customer interaction to connect.”; The modern buyer wants to understand before engaging with the sales organization – so of course your organization must take appropriate steps to develop such understanding. A dedicated business development infrastructure will help you get there. Being effective as a byproduct of closing a specialty is no easy feat, and it doesn’t make sense to spend your best sales reps’ time researching companies and finding leads if they’re good at selling. In the same sense, search and selection is not a quick or simple process. Separating prospecting from sales allows each team to focus their efforts on one task instead of splitting their time between two different and time-consuming goals. Career Development Benefits and Lower Hiring Costs Another benefit of splitting the two roles is the ability to develop reps early in their careers and reduce hiring costs, says Justin Hiatt, the global HubSpot’s director of business development. He says, “The sales development team takes some of the search and qualification burden off the shoulders of your quota-based reps…but its main purpose is to be a training ground for your sales organization. This is the place for your SDRs. prove that they can be quota representatives and must provide new representatives to your organization every year. “The point at which a sales SDR enables a salesperson to do business development varies from company to company. It depends on how your sales team defines the “sales qualification” of a lead. There are several different frameworks for sales qualification: BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline), ANUM (Authority, Need, Urgency, Money) and GPCT are just a few. Whatever system you use to identify opportunities, you should SDRs are good at uncovering: Are they talking to a decision maker: If the contact is a low-level employee with no purchasing power, it’s important to find out as soon as possible.Can the company use your product: If your product or service solves a problem that your lead doesn’t have in their industry, it’s not a good idea to pitch it to a sales rep. Digging a little deeper is important to determine if your product can solve problem or not. In many organizations, their SDRs go beyond this basic qualification to better understand a lead’s willingness to buy. They require SDRs to look for two additional pieces of information: Does the lead need a solution in the near future: When your SDRs first contact a prospect, their problems may not be important enough to ensure a purchase. This doesn’t mean the lead is dead, but sending it too soon is a waste of sales reps’ time. What budget the lead is using: This isn’t the time to get into specific price breaks or negotiations, but it’s important to know if your product’s price is within the lead’s reach. SDRs should spend most of their time asking questions and listening to prospects throughout the qualification process. However, it’s important that they start educating leads on what solutions your company offers and demonstrate their value—to eliminate any potential mismatch early. Sales Development Call and Sales Call The ultimate responsibility of the SDR or BDR is to learn as much as possible about the lead’s company, problems, and solution needs. Early conversations should revolve around gathering this information. The sales conversation picks up where the SDR or BDR left off, and the endgame is when the deal is signed. Sales calls can cover a wide range of topics—here are just a few examples: Show how your value proposition applies to your prospect’s business burden. The degree of separation varies from organization to organization. If your company is smaller, your sales reps may be responsible for both prospecting and closing—that’s fine. But as you grow, separating and clearly defining the roles of the two teams will allow each of them to focus on what they do best, making your sales efforts more effective and helping your business to reach new heights. Business Development